S Range Mexican Adventure - Belgians/Austrians

John Cunningham mentioned that a friend of his liked the Austrian Hussar conversion below and was going to use it for the Maximilian adventure in a mix of S range and Jacklex figures.

John sent me some pictures, of the Belgians amongst others and this sent me off searching for figures that could form the basis for conversions.

For the Belgians (and the Austrians who seem to have similar uniforms) I went for the French Chasseurs a Pied from the FPW range for the body, but the Belgian/Austrian hat is quite distinctive.  Nothing matched so I took the head from the French Revolutionary Citizen (a really useful and available figure) with musket in top hat and filed it down and shaped it.  I then added some green stuff for a plume.  I think he makes a passable figure.

There was a lot of filing to create this and I thought I would be lazy and try the Napoleonic Spanish Infantryman with an upturned brimmed hat. The hat shape is okay to start with.

 Here I simply snipped either side of the where the brim adjoins the hat and fattened the brim with a pair of pliers. I then cut and filed away the remaining bit of hat adjoined to the crown (very quick compared to filing the other hat).  I then filed the gap with green stuff and added a plume.  Again I think it makes a passable figure.

The head for the mounted figure was made the same way and I think he can pass as either a mounted officer or an Austrian cavalryman.  Given the braid in the print I went for the body of  French Hussar from the FPW range.

The Bugler in the print can easily be made with a head swap of the Chasseur Bugler I made for the FPW range with the 'cap' from a French Guard from the same range.  More blogs and pictures to follow on other Mexican Adventure items.

The just for the hell of it I make a female - well sort of - Mexican peasant by using the Revolutionary War 'citizeness' with musket.  I added some green stuff for belts, sleeves for the arms and long hair etc

I know they would never have had bayonets but its the way the figures are made!